Jar sealing



JAR SEALING Filed Feb. 23, 1951 INVEIITOR. I ,lberzhez'tmam Bl -aes; pi l/neg Patented Nov. 3, 1953 JAR SEALING Albert Heltmann, Hamb urg-Niendorf, Germany,

assignor to Will Henning's Freeport, N. Y.

Application February 23, 1951, Serial No.

5 Claims. (01. 22682) This invention relates to improvements in jar sealing. It relates particularly to an apparatus for vacuum sealing jars.

Jars, and particularly, preserving jars may be closed by means of a vacuum. This is done by evacuating the air from a preserving jar, placing a cover and sealing ring on the preserving jar and allowing the atmospheric pressure to hold the preserving jar permanently closed. The known apparatus for efiecting this type of closure consists of a vacuum receptacle into which the preserving jar to be sealed is placed. A seal, generally a rubber ring, is placed over the lip of the preserving jar, and the preserving jar cover is placed on top of this rubber ring. The air is then evacuated from the vacuum receptacle with a pump. The air is then allowed to re-enter the evacuated vacuum receptacle and the atmospheric pressure on the preserving jar cover causes a permanent closure of the preserving jar.

It has been found, however, that this conventional apparatus is not efficient in the vacuum closure of preserving jars and the covers of a considerable number of preserving jars so closed become loose after a short period of time causing the air to enter and spoiling the contents. This inadequate closure results from having the cover lie entirely on the preserving jar during the evacuation of air. Because of this an eifective vacuum sufiicient for permanent closure of the preserving jars is not always produced in the preserving jar.

Attempts have been made to overcome this by keeping the cover lifted off the preserving jar during the evacuation of the air from the vacuum receptacle and to place it back on the preserving jar after the air evacuation has been completed. This must, of course, be done from the outside while the vacuum receptacle is closed.

The known devices for accomplishing this are very complicated as the actuating members for lowering the cover must operate through a hermetically sealed passage. Furthermore, these actuating members for lowering the cover are extremely difiicult and cumbersome to manipulate and their use entails a considerable loss of time, inasmuch as the cover for the preserving jar to be closed must be arranged in the lowering device for each individual preserving jar. In addition, the position of the lowering device must be adjusted with respect to the preserving jar which is to be closed.

One object of this invention is a device for the dependable vacuum closure of preserving jars which will eliminate all the aforementioned dis-- ;tion a cylindrical U .be closed. The 30 v advantages. This and further objects will become apparent from the description read in conjunction with the drawings: Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a vacuum closure device in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a top elevation of the device shown in Fig. l; and l Fig. 3 is a detailed view of the upper pumppart of the device shown in Fig. 1 with the piston. driving mechanism shown in side view. According to the invention a device for the closing of preserving jars under vacuum is constructed having a preserving'jar holding receptacle adapted to have the air evacuated from it by means of a pump. The receptacle for. the preserving jar has a closure portion which may be "positioned for hermetically sealing the receptacle when the air is to be evacuated from it. This closure portion is positioned for lifting the preserving jar cover when the said closure portion from the preserving jar receptacle.

Referring to the drawing which shows one embodiment of the device according to the invenpreserving jar receptacle I is receiving a preserving jar 5 to cylindrical receptacle I has a constructed for The vacuum receptacle closure portion consists of a cylinder H having a sealing flange [2. The

cylinder II is pivotally positioned in respect to the vacuum receptacle by means of the hinge 2|. When the cylinder II is positioned in its sealing position, the flange I2 will come into sealingcontact with the sealing ring 4. The cylinder ll contains a piston I3 which makes air-tight. contact with the inner walls of the cylinder I I. The

piston 13 is attached to the piston rod II which has one surface in the form of a rack. The rack on the piston rod I4 is engaged by the gear l5, which is rotatably supported on a shaft l8 between two bearing blocks l1 fastened to the cylinder top I. A crank I9 is fastened to the shaft IS. The shaft I8 is rigidly attached to the gear i5, so that a rotation of the handle 19 will cause the gear llmretate andicause the pistonro'd "to move up "ordown, depending upon the direction of rotation. The surface of the piston rod i4 opposite to the surface defining the rack rests against the idling wheel 20, which is also 10- tatably supported between the bearing blocks i1. The pump cylinder ll may-beaming err-the hinge 2| into the position shown inthe tlottediines in F18. l and in full lines This is the opened position which the apparatus is placed in when the preserving jar to be closed is 'piscedmi the vacuum receptacle 1 on the supporting plate I. The cylinder H .may have thetwoholes I in rprecisely oppositeeach other,-:so that the piston It in its upper .position will pass over wayinto thelreceptacleinto the cylinder Ii and exertpressure 11in the :cover 28 of'the Pr rv g jar 5.

'mhe'eylinder i I has a clamp engagingportion ll-'pofitioned aboveitsflange I! for engagement with the lowerclampportion 22. when the cyler'is placed in its' 'seaiing position on thevacuum mopts le L ttle handle in is lifted, the two damp-engaging portions n and 23 are contacted with each other, the'hand1ei0 is depressed, which forees the flanges ll and *3 against the sealing ringlholdstheminthat position making an air-tight connection between the cylinder and platlfil is positioned. This plate is provided with the perforations W5 and will hereafter be called The vacuum receptacle l and the'eylin'der i iare thus communicated with each other through the perforations when the cylinder is positioned-for air-tight engagement with the vacuum receptacle. T-he perforated plate 24 is so constructed that itexerts pressure on'one side of the preserving'jar' cover 28. This are is exerted on the side nearest to theclamp nnd'furthest' from the hinge. Due to this pressure on one side of the cover, the 'cover-is-pressd this side-and lifted at the opposite side. With'thecover so lifted any pressure in the 'vacuumTeceptacle 'will equalize itself with the e in the preserving jar'andthe pressures in the vacuum receptacle andthe preserving jar wfil'be equal. 'Thuspii the air is' evacuatedfrom thevacuumreceptacle, it will also-be evacuated fromthe preserving Jar.

The pressure on one side of the preserving jar cover 'is" caused by "constructing the perforated plateisothat' its upper surface "21' and its lower surfaceie' are not parallel to each other,'-and. the maximum cross section'of the perforatedj'plate lies'atthe'point nearest the clamp-andthesmallest cross section lies at the point nearest the hinge. surface 21 lies'iparailelto the-base plate 1 and the lowersurtaeefli lies ata'n angle with' flie baseplate-"2, so that the distance 'bemess base' plate-2 and thei iower surface e -from the side of theciampto thehinge 'rhe action ot the perforatedmlateimmiting amessureon the aideohthe preservins jar-mover aearest the clamp *issaided by thecompression spring 8 which forces the preserving jar arranged on the supporting plate 1 against the perforated plate.

The apparatus operates as follows: The cylinder 5 is pivoted in its opened position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the preserving jar which is to be closed is placed with its sealing ring and cover on it on the supporting plate 1. The preserving ian5 may-commsslie spsirg 0 somewhat l0 "depending upon its weight. The cylinder is then swung into its closed position as shown by the solid lines in Fig. l and locked in this position by means of .the clamp to form an air-tight closure with the vacuum receptacle. when the cylinder ll isin' thts-oiosedposition and as long as it remains iri'this"pesition, the perforated plate 24 pressespnoneside of the preserving jar cover 28, so that the latter is lifted from the preserving jar at-the side opposite the pressure. The vacuum receptacle l and the. interior of the preserving jar ii are thusacontinuously communicated with each other and their {pressures will be equal.

By turning the crank 19 inthe-directionof Fig. 1. the piston is is. caused-mrise 25 and the vacuum necessary for the permanent entire system. Since the cover is liftadrthe vacuimileifected in the vacuum-receptacled will also the eflected within .thezpree rving iarwand thus .there is full assurance that the .1

amount of air has been evacu ted from-themeserving jar.

If the clamp "is new 'openedrthe pressure-on one-side of'the cover is eiiminatedsandxhemer will lie accurately-upon mmseavling'ringhf the preserving jar. The atmospheric pressure entering the system when the clamp is further opened will pressthe cover firmly and'permaar. The apparatus according "to the invention'not only provides a vacuum ciosureof preservingjars which can behan'died repid1y,easily--and-conveniently, and assures'a'permanent and d pendable. closure vofthe preserving jars; but alsomaires it..-pos'sible'to effect the, permanent vacuum closurewhen usingboth hot and cold 'materlals'to be. sealedin'thepreserving jars.

It can be seen from thedescription that'the invention an apparatus for vacuum sealing preserving jars, having a v an airtight closure for the vacuumreceptacle. The :ciosure has means which exert an uneven pressnre upon the cover .of the preserving Jar when the-closure is in its sealed positioniand thus-.-li!t-.=nne:side .of .the; preserving Jar-cover and:;keep that side iiftedcduring-the timesvhcn the closure .iszinits sealedposition. The means which exert .thewreeflure en .onersideeof the preserving; jar cover-are: released hen the .010- snreis removed fromitssealed positionmndthas thezxpreservinsriar cover will. fall I to its-exac :pesitionrandbe held in thatposition permanently by: the atmospheric pressure. The clo ure mean mav'beanyzclosnrermeans for effecting-a hermetic=sealwithflie vacuum receptacle and from which air may =be-evacuated It is preferable that. the closure :msans include the air vpump in the form of apistonmnd piston rod. .flihe ..pressure. means for-the :preserving i jar. cover may ,be any-.means actuated by the closure which will exert an uneven pressure uponthe preserving in! cover when the closure. in its sealed "position and release this iunevenpressure-whenthe cle- 15 sure islibeing removed-froxnthe sealed position.

I claim:

1. Device for vacuum-sealing preserving jars comprising means defining a vacuum receptacle for holding a jar to be sealed with its sealing ring and cover, means defining a closure for said vacuum receptacle, said closure being removably positioned for hermetically sealing said vacuum receptacle and having pressure means positioned at an inner edge of said closure for exerting a pressure upon one edge of a jar cover positioned in said vacuum receptacle to tilt the opposite edge upwardly, when said closure means is in sealing position, means for evacuating air from said receptacle when said closure means is in hermetically sealing position.

2. Device according to claim 1 in which said closure means is cylinder means pivotally positioned for sealing engagement with said vacuum receptacle, said cylinder means containing means defining a piston movably positioned in said cylinder for forming a vacuum in said cylinder and said vacuum receptacle.

3. Device according to claim 2 in which said pressure means for exerting a pressure on one side of a jar cover is a perforated plate positioned in said cylinder for contact with the side of a jar cover opposite said pivot, when said cylinder is in sealing engagement with said vacuum receptacle.

4. Device according to claim 3 in which said vacuum receptacle contains spring means positioned for pressing a jar against said perforated plate when said cylinder is in sealing engagement with said vacuum receptacle.

5. Device according to claim 4 in which said vacuum receptacle has means defining a flange with an elastic seal positioned thereon and said cylinder has means defining a. flange positioned for sealing contact with said elastic seal when said cylinder is in sealing engagement with said vacuum receptacle.

ALBERT HEITMANN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

